Evidence of meeting #26 for Government Operations and Estimates in the 42nd Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was service.
A video is available from Parliament.
7:20 p.m.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Tom Lukiwski
Mr. Drouin, Madam Ratansi asked for two minutes for you, and you have two minutes left of this one.
7:20 p.m.
Liberal
Francis Drouin Liberal Glengarry—Prescott—Russell, ON
Thank you.
My question relates to admail and the assumptions that the task force has made. I am assuming that you come to these assumptions based on your conversations with Canada Post about the decline of admail.
Unless Canada Post finds a way to provide every household a civic address, I don't see the decline in admail going much down in the next 10 or15 or 20 years. It's the only way that Canadians or businesses rely on to send information to their potential customers. I'm just wondering how you came to those assumptions.
7:20 p.m.
President, Task Force on Canada Post Corporation
There are two different issues. There's the address one and the neighbourhood. The neighbourhood we know: no flyers, no nothing. It will go down because eventually cost-benefit analysis by businesses will bring them to make more use of the digital approach. Also, the green trend that we are observing might accelerate that phenomenon.
The address thing remains. For example, your credit card comes to your address. It could be all kinds of things. Reliability is very important, but again, we see that in the digital world more and more. There are solutions being brought that can deliver the service without really going through the mail itself. You can do it digitally.
We're not saying—
7:20 p.m.
Liberal
Francis Drouin Liberal Glengarry—Prescott—Russell, ON
That only answers for a segment of the market. I mean, not all seniors are online. Are we not going to be communicating to those seniors in the future?
7:20 p.m.
President, Task Force on Canada Post Corporation
It's interesting. The seniors are online much more than you seem to think. That was our surprise in the polls—
7:20 p.m.
Liberal
Francis Drouin Liberal Glengarry—Prescott—Russell, ON
But in rural Canada in some places they don't have access to the Internet.
7:20 p.m.
President, Task Force on Canada Post Corporation
It's the access and the broadband that is the problem. It's not that they don't want to be there.
7:20 p.m.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Tom Lukiwski
Unfortunately, we'll have to leave it at that.
Next we have Monsieur Blaney or Mr. McCauley for five minutes.
7:20 p.m.
Conservative
Steven Blaney Conservative Bellechasse—Les Etchemins—Lévis, QC
Thank you very much, Mr. Chair.
Ms. Bertrand, these are the final opportunities to speak so I would like thank you, on behalf of the official opposition, for your excellent work.
As you know, we are preparing to hold consultations next week. Could you tell us about your group's next steps until you produce your final report? What is your schedule?
7:20 p.m.
President, Task Force on Canada Post Corporation
Under the contract, our first responsibility is to provide you with a report. We are prepared to come back to the committee during or after your consultations. We remain available.
7:20 p.m.
Conservative
7:20 p.m.
President, Task Force on Canada Post Corporation
If you need us, we are available. We have nothing to do other than what you ask of us.
7:20 p.m.
Conservative
Steven Blaney Conservative Bellechasse—Les Etchemins—Lévis, QC
Okay.
I thought you were going to draw on our report, but instead we will be drawing on yours in order to make recommendations.
I am turning the tables a bit because I wanted to suggest that you make bold recommendations when that is actually the committee's job.
7:20 p.m.
President, Task Force on Canada Post Corporation
That is your job and we really appreciate what a big responsibility it is. Should you need additional details, rest assured that we can provide everything you need in view of the big job you have to do.
7:20 p.m.
Conservative
Steven Blaney Conservative Bellechasse—Les Etchemins—Lévis, QC
Thank you.
Yes, the committee will play a big role in this.
You have presented avenues to be considered, but you have not made any recommendations. I know that it is the committee's job, but we would have been very interested to see what recommendations you might make. That is not how the minister wanted it to work though. Very well.
I'm going to turn this over to my colleague, but before that, I want to share with you that we've had Canada Post in and we've asked them about the five-year plan. This plan was stopped when the new government came in.
In their estimation, the fact that they've stopped the five-year plan is a cost of half a billion dollars for taxpayers. Certainly there is a cost to doing nothing or to not taking the bull by the horns. Is that correct?
7:25 p.m.
A voice
Correct.
7:25 p.m.
Conservative
Steven Blaney Conservative Bellechasse—Les Etchemins—Lévis, QC
Thank you.
With that, do you have some comments, Kelly? I will share my time with Kelly.
7:25 p.m.
Conservative
Kelly McCauley Conservative Edmonton West, AB
Getting back to Purolator, we know that it's going to be growing and getting a larger percentage of the profits and sales, etc., of Canada Post. In the projections, I think it's almost doubling by 2026.
Did you get an impression when dealing with Canada Post that they're ready for this, knowing what we're seeing with various disrupters in the business force? We're seeing stuff like auto-drive cars. We could have Amazon, which is playing with drones. Did you get a sense that Canada Post or the Purolator folks are preparing for any of this, or will we be dealing five years from now with another catastrophe?
7:25 p.m.
President, Task Force on Canada Post Corporation
Yes, they're taking action every day, but they're an institution that has a tradition, and that has a weight in itself, and unless all the stakeholders that decide on the direction are around the table, to change and bring about change—
7:25 p.m.
Conservative
Kelly McCauley Conservative Edmonton West, AB
Unfortunately, I think you've answered my question.
That's all I have. Again, thank you very much. It has been very enjoyable.
Next time, Mr. Hopson, it's the Edmonton Eskimos.
7:25 p.m.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Tom Lukiwski
Thank you.
We'll go to Monsieur Ayoub, please, for five minutes.
7:25 p.m.
Liberal
Ramez Ayoub Liberal Thérèse-De Blainville, QC
Thank you, Mr. Chair.
It is always interesting to learn what the committee's mandate is at committee meetings, but that is another matter.
I am interested in the international aspect of the report. It is difficult to make comparisons with other countries. Did you find enough information? Who made the comparisons? Was it Ernst and Young?
